The European citizens who are directly affected by Schengen inner border controls are rightfully indignant - said MEP Csaba Sógor. The representative of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania took the floor during the Strasbourg plenary to claim: sustaining inner border controls represents a violation of one of the greatest achievements of the EU.

The EU has to promote the dialogue between the majority and minorities, said Csaba Sógor in the European Parliament. The politician of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ) thinks that while the EU rightly condemns violation of human rights outside its territory, it pays less attention to minority rights within its borders.

Use of mother tongue and informing citizens in their own language ought to be encouraged in the European Union – this was the conclusion of the conference held in the European Parliament, where MEPs and language experts debated on the issue of linguistic equality in the digital age. Participants agreed, that the use of mother tongue would not only stimulate the economy but could also contribute to EU citizens being properly informed.

The most recent, 2015 European Union report on the situation of fundamental rights finally has a chapter dedicated to the rights of minorities. In the opinion of Csaba Sógor the European Union was long overdue to consider facts regarding national minorities living within the EU borders. MEPs debated and voted on the report on Monday, December 13th, during the European Parliament’s Strasbourg plenary session.

Youth leaders and Hungarian youth organizations in Transylvania play an important role in promoting the learning opportunities available to young people in the European Union – stated Csaba Sógor in Cluj-Napoca, where he met with youth leaders on Saturday, December 3rd.

Representatives of nongovernmental organizations dealing with the disabled urged for a better support of the work of social organizations and a shared setting of common goals. The specialists had a meeting in Sepsiszentgyörgy (Sfântu-Gheorghe), where they agreed to collaborate more in the future in order to improve the situation of people living with disabilities.

MEPs called upon the Commission to set up a binding mechanism that would guarantee the respect for democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights in Member States. As a Hungarian from Romania Csaba Sógor stated: this may be the greatest practical contribution the European Parliament ever made in order to develop a framework for the European Union that would make the Copenhagen Criteria – including on securing the rights of national minorities – binding in case of Member States that already joined the EU.

Members of the European Parliament Csaba Sógor and Pál Csáky debated about the transitioning Europe, the failings of multiculturalism, as well as the causes and consequences of the migration crises and the effects of Brexit. Hungarian MEP from Slovakia Csáky Pál arrived to Cluj-Napoca for the debate at the invitation of MEP Csaba Sógor. The event that took place on Friday, October 14th was hosted by Lutheran bishop Dezső Zoltán Adorjáni.

The government in Romania continues to persecute people for the use of minority community symbols – stated Csaba Sógor during the European Parliament’s Strasbourg plenary session on Monday, October the 3rd.

The European Parliament hosted one of the largest conferences organised in Europe for deaf and hard of hearing people. At the invitation of RMDSZ MEP Csaba Sógor a group of Hungarians from Transylvania also attended the event organised on the European Day of Languages, on the 28th of September. At the closing of the event a parliamentary draft resolution on the improvement of the situation of sign language speakers was also adopted.

This year, two persons were given the European Citizens Award in Romania, Professor Dr. Iordan Gheorghe Bărbulescu and Dr. Barbara Helen Knowles, a British research biologist, protector of natural and cultural values of Transylvania, and in particular the region of Szeklerland. The awards were handed over on the 23rd of September at the European Parliament’s Information Office in Bucharest.

The European Parliament has just adopted MEP Marian Harkin’s comprehensive report on the functioning of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF), the fund which provided the financial support for the employees made redundant following the closure of two large plants in Transylvania: Nokia in Jucu and Mechel in Câmpia Turzii. As shadow rapporteur on behalf of the European People's Party, MEP Csaba Sógor also contributed to the document adopted on 15 September in Strasbourg.

Within the plenary session in September, the European Parliament voted in favour of the creation of a new EU travel document, which can speed up the process of returning non-EU nationals who stay irregularly in EU member states without valid passports or identity cards.

Eastern and Central European companies may be forced out of the western market should their competitive advantage related to cheaper labour cease. In the opinion of MEP Csaba Sógor, Romanian companies that conduct business abroad could be adversely impacted by recent efforts to level services prices, which are becoming increasingly visible within the European Union and in some Member States.

European policy makers participated at a Transylvanian wine and beer tasting in Strasbourg at the event organised by the European Parliamentary Association (EPA) following this week’s plenary session of the European Parliament.

Reports of the European Union focus more on the recently arrived migrant communities than on the autochthonous national minorities of Europe – stated Csaba Sógor during the hearing of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union in 2015. During the public hearing organised on June 16th in the European Parliament, several documents were under discussion: the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights’s (FRA) 2016 report and the European Commission’s 2015 report on the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

The European Parliament aims to discourage unfair trading practices, affecting micro-, small and medium sized enterprises on the European market. SMEs, which make up over 90 percent of the EU’s economic structure, should benefit from a better protection in the food supply chain - concluded the MEPs during the June 6th-9th June Strasbourg plenary session the European Parliament.

Illegally smuggled cigarettes and tobacco products cost the member states of the European Union an estimated ten billion Euros per year in lost revenues. In addition to the economic losses, smuggling also undermines public health policies and violates the EU regulations on tobacco manufacturing, distribution and sale - said MEP Csaba Sógor.

Limiting broadcasts to country boarders is very outdated – stated Csaba Sógor in the European Parliament on Wednesday, during the debate on the digital single market strategy. According to the RMDSZ MEP, despite the business interests, in today's world of possibilities offered by new technologies it is unacceptable that some citizens can’t view sporting events in the language of their choice, even if they have a subscription for the broadcast provider.

A state regarding its own indigenous national minorities as foreign bodies can lead to social tensions – stated Csaba Sógor in Strasbourg during the debate on the situation of Tatars in the Crimean Peninsula. The DAHR MEP also pointed out that, unfortunately, collective stigmatisation of communities occurs even within the European Union.